Tag Archives: Week in Review

Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 18 March 2018

There is something to be said for the wisdom that comes with experience. The past week presented a whole host of challenges…my partner’s unemployment, the daily saga, firings and resignations, from the bowels of our tenuous government, stressful workplace drama, a late winter snowstorm that shut the city down. I’m not looking for sympathy. This is life. And I am fully aware that my week might be viewed as a piece of cake compared to the challenges of others who may be facing real tragedy and loss.

I say all this to acknowledge that when I was younger even the slightest shift in my universe would throw me into a tizzy. Now, with decades of survival under my belt, even the most challenging calamity is met with a “meh”.

There is comfort in that. Comfort that I’ve earned over the course of a lifetime. Winter is but a temporary season…spring is coming; there will be a new job, just in time, and likely better than the last; my country has a fickle affair with politicians and the bad eggs are eventually tossed into the compost heap of history, and my stressful job? It pays the bills, but it’s not my life. I am reminded everyday that the world ticks on and that deadlines mean nothing in the grand scheme of things as I gaze out my window at ancient mountains and wind tossed trees.

With age and a sure and steady track record of survival thus far I have reached a certain mellowness…like fine wine or cheese, life in all its variety, meant to be savored slowly.

Have a lovely week in spite of it all. ❤️

Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 18 March 2018

what I crave is more sleep
snow storm, don’t lose your head
cool stillness
whispering soft on fragrant swells
But, can I be honest?
winter stings budding trees
melted snow, muddy swamp
perseverance in winter’s wake
frigid gusts bend branches
though chances are slim
blue serene, sweet greenness
say a prayer for me
a blissful sight, dreaming
beautiful bird song
the one true thing
poetry is a window

~kat

A ReVerse poem is a summary poem with a single line lifted from each entry of a collection of work over a particular timeframe and re-penned in chronological order as a new poem. Unlike a collaborative poem, the ReVerse features the words of one writer, providing a glimpse into their thoughts over time. I use it as a review of the previous week.


Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 11 March 2018

This past week provided me with a reality check. It was a gray meteorologically, but an astute observer might also have sensed a tinge of internal grayness in my writing as well.

As weeks go it wasn’t extraordinary, but it wasn’t a total wash either. I managed to eke out a respectable collection of poems. I received a decent annual review from my boss, a tiny bump in salary, coined a new poetry form, mastered a new recipe, and found out that my next grandchild, due this summer, is a girl.

But it was overcast and stormy all week which cast a cloud on everything. How easily swayed I am by external things that don’t matter. It’s not like the bad weather affected me so much that I wanted to find a dark hole to curl up in. But I allowed what should have been a fairly good week to be cast in shades of gray. And I really had no reason to feel blue. It was actually a good week!

Well the universe wasn’t having it. If I was determined to be blue then I should at least have a good reason for my sour mood. On Friday my partner was let go from work. OMG! WTF! Really?!

Never underestimate the power of a real downer to snap you into the reality. When I was younger, this sort of news would have sent me into a panic, but with age and experience come wisdom. After getting past the initial shock, I took a deep breath and examined the situation. Suddenly the gray skies didn’t matter. Those good things I listed above came flooding into view. Bad news was tempered with good and I settled into the moment with the assurance that everything would be okay because I could recall similar challenges that turned out okay.

In that moment I realized how much I have evolved over time. I listened to my slow steady breathing. There is a line in the middle of this week’s reverse: “wasted hours can’t be seized”. True enough. But wasted implies past tense. Those hours are over and done. What I can seize is this moment. And in this moment, I’m okay…better than okay in fact. And I am determined that wasted hours spent worrying about the past, or dreading the future will not seize me. Right now, in the midst of gray-skies and challenges on the horizon, I am counting my blessings.

Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 11 March 2018

all this fuss over tweets
no clouds in sight, just blue
how my soul longs
Are you thinking what I’m thinking?
grey clouds descend again
reminding us of ourselves
wasted hours can’t be seized
snow flurried, spring’s first blush
that reeked of deception
dandy shoots dot the lawn,
but demonyms fall short as they should
feathered shadow in flight
a whisper in the stillness…
we always long for more
faint of heart
it rustles and murmurs
when clouds block the view

~kat

A ReVerse poem is a summary poem with a single line lifted from each entry of a collection of work over a particular timeframe and re-penned in chronological order as a new poem. Unlike a collaborative poem, the ReVerse features the words of one writer, providing a glimpse into their thoughts over time. I use it as a review of the previous week.


Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 25 February 2018

If you are reading this, you have survived another week on this planet. It’s a crap shoot isn’t it? We are born into this complicated world with a fierce sense of survival that is so easily swayed by false senses of security. The truth is, as the sayings go, “none of us are promised tomorrow” for “we will not leave this place alive”. Which is all the more reason to seize each moment.

Still, it’s hard not to worry, to suffer angst and fear. Fear is a heartless beast. It likes to build on hypotheticals and what ifs. Even more despicable are those who exploit and profit from its proliferation.

But, what if we could accept the inevidabilty of our mortality. What if we were not afraid of our emotions; the highs and the lows and actually embraced the exquisite passion to be found in ecstasy and in grief?

Would the fear-mongers have less control over us? In truth, they would like nothing more than to dictate to us how we should be feeling. They thrive because we are willing to abdicate our freedom to their twisted protectionism. Resignation and compliance is the price of liberty they say. But it is not freedom.

We are not free unless we shed our dependence on powerful others who have only their own best interests at heart, and take our rightful place as individuals. We need each other we say, but not for reasons the powerful would have us believe. We need others who remind us that we are valued; that our dreams and hopes are worthwhile endeavors; that give us room to live and feel, and yes, even die with dignity; that we are perfect even in our imperfections; that we are mortal and yet magnificent in each breath we take, each tear we shed, each utterance of joy. And we are free only when we are fearless.

How is this possible? Well, you know…you do. It is today and you are here, breathing. There is this. A simple, single moment to savor. Is it enough? If you can answer “yes!” then you know true freedom and nobody can take that away.

Peace and kindness to you. Have a wonderful moment…have many!

Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 25 February 2018

the sting of loss settling in
winter bones shimmer
more like hopeless
swelling in the mist,
it’s already old news…
but it’s a temporary fix,
it’s okay if you don’t want to admit it.
flag at half staff
the fog clears
amidst the cacophony
all honor is slain
I see you, alright?!
a songbird sings
a change is coming
the fall of an empire.
listening to the wind
there’s a hint
no one sees…
my heart knows
innocence cannot be restored
a face in the crowd

~kat

A ReVerse poem is a summary poem with a single line lifted from each entry of a collection of work over a particular timeframe and re-penned in chronological order as a new poem. Unlike a collaborative poem, the ReVerse features the words of one writer, providing a glimpse into their thoughts over time. I use it as a review of the previous week.


Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 4 February 2018

Note to Self…

You may have forgotten who you are, and believe me, I understand. How could you not? From your first breath everything you thought you knew has been slowly chipped away by the fearful, insecure others because your brilliance terrifies them…and because they forgot their own brilliance.

“Don’t speak unless you are spoken to.”
“You’re just a…”
“You’re not smart enough…you’re too smart.”
“You’re not invited.”
“Wait for your turn.”
“Go to the back of the line.”
“Get with the program.”
“You can’t do…or say that.”
“You’re too young…you’re too old.”
“You’re not ………….enough.”
“You’re too much.”
“Don’t make waves.”
“Get over it.”
“If only you had…”
“It’s too late.”
“You are being selfish.”

Sound familiar? How many times did you take one of these lies to heart? How many times did you repeat them to yourself…to others? Without realizing it you allowed these words to attach themselves to you. Like daggers they have slowly chipped away at the masterpiece that you are, rendering you a heap of self-loathing. But what if you had heard the truth from the moment you took your first breath…what if…

“Tell me…”
“You are amazing.”
“You are brilliant.”
“You are always welcome.”
“Come to the front, sit next to me.”
“Tell me what you think.”
“Let’s do this!”
“It’s never too late.”
“You matter.”
“I value your…”
“You’ve got this.”
“Don’t give up or in.”
“The world needs people like you.”
“I need you…”
“I believe you…in you”
“You are perfect…”
“You are important.”

What if these were the words that filled your cup. What if you could start over, have a do-over, wipe the slate clean…would you remember then? It’s not too late…it’s never too late. Repeat after me…”You are everything and all!”

Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 4 February 2018

can’t you see how crazy that is?
you were born dazzling
softly draped in mist
while everyone sleeps
chipped away by betrayal
just real life in the moment
and blue sometimes, oh so blue
winter’s days are numbered
fading to oblivescence
the matrix is real
color me daffodil…
with a whisper of diamonds

~kat

A ReVerse poem is a summary poem with a single line lifted from each entry of a collection of work over a particular timeframe and re-penned in chronological order as a new poem. Unlike a collaborative poem, the ReVerse features the words of one writer, providing a glimpse into their thoughts over time. I use it as a review of the previous week.


Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 21 January 2018


Today I am grateful.

I am grateful for the constancy of the sun by day and the moon by night; for the gentle cycling of the seasons; for cool breezes and refreshing rain; for all things green and living; for a heart that beats and for lungs that inhale and exhale without prompting.

Today I am grateful.

I am grateful for dog slobber on my clean, black trousers; for cat fur speckled sweaters; for the untidy remnants of animals and children at play; for the music of laughter and sweet whispers; for the smiles of strangers in long lines at the grocery store.

Today I am grateful.

No matter how crazy this world gets…with its threats of nuclear doom, terrorism, government shutdowns, lack of empathy, insanity, hate, rage…I know that all that matters is this moment, right here, right now. How grateful am I for its simplicity; for the gift of being here; for the blessing of words; for the keyboard in front of me that helps me pour them into this blog. And how grateful I am for you, reading this in your right now moment; grateful, so very grateful for the connection we share.

Peace, love and blessings to you. Go gently my friends…a moment in time is an eternity.

Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 21 January 2018

it is barely a whisper,
words to inspire, to move
a hint of fragrance
sending the petals gently fluttering
good intentions fade
whining, wailing, trifling
silence
making up for lost time,
one right after the other
narcissist
tell it like it is…
captive to torture
we shall overcome
the dark world, always
the force is strong
the mind knows

~kat

A ReVerse poem is a summary poem with a single line lifted from each entry of a collection of work over a particular timeframe and re-penned in chronological order as a new poem. Unlike a collaborative poem, the ReVerse features the words of one writer, providing a glimpse into their thoughts over time. I use it as a review of the previous week.